Poll Results: Windows XP Lives On, for Now

EE Times readers told us their plans and actions about upgrading Windows XP computers that control automated test stations.

Automated test systems, especially those used in manufacturing, often have long lives. That's particularly true for military and aerospace components and systems, which can remain in production for 20 years or more. Thus, test systems often run old computers and operating systems long after consumers and other businesses have upgraded. The end of Microsoft's Windows XP support presents test departments with a dilemma: Upgrade or not?

To find out, we at EE Times ran a poll to get a feel for Windows XP use in engineering applications. While the most votes (28.59%) came in from those who have already upgraded, those who answered "The cost of upgrading production and test systems is too high; we're staying with XP for now" was second and not far behind (23.53%).

Other than the cost of new equipment, there are other reasons for not upgrading. For example, you might have to halt production during the transition; the cost of that can easily exceed the cost of new equipment. Then there's the software support issue. It's possible that the people who wrote that original code are long gone, which could force you to write entirely new code even when the existing code still works. Another issue arises with test systems that aren't networked, and thus IT departments may have no jurisdiction over them. Off-network computers present no security risk to corporate networks. In my experience, however, many automated test stations are networked for data storage and analysis.

"Unfortunately, the test and measurement world has been slow to transition from Windows XP," wrote Robert Cromwell and Peter Blume of Bloomy Controls in "What the End of Windows XP Means for Your Test Systems." Cromwell and Blume go on to explain why you should upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, but not Windows 8: "Windows 8/8.1 is typically not a good choice for running older software because of driver availability and a new user interface that can confuse operators." You can read about upgrading in the link above, but I had a few questions that go beyond the article.

Q: My test system is not networked. Tell me why I should or shouldn’t upgrade?
A: If the system is not networked and you will not need to use any new hardware or software with it, then it may not be critical to upgrade. If it's running Windows XP, however, it's probably running pretty old hardware -- what is your backup plan when the hardware dies?

Q: EE Times just ran a poll on what engineers have done or are doing about XP. A high percentage say the cost of upgrading is too high. What’s your response to that?
A: As with most IT upgrades, it's the cost of not upgrading that you need to consider. A virus attack, stolen IP, system downtime, etc., can be extremely time consuming and expensive.

Q: How much longer will Microsoft support Windows 7? Will I be in the same position in a few years when support ends?
A: Extended support for Windows 7 ends in 2020, so you still have a few years before you need to upgrade again.

Q: Other than continued support (for now) with Windows 7, are there any advantages of upgrading to Win7 when my XP-based systems are working just fine?
A: The main benefit of upgrading to Win7 from XP is the security updates, but Windows 7 also has a lot of additional features such as system restore, performance improvements, and 64-bit support. Also, there are a lot of applications that no longer run on Windows XP.

Windows 7 is still available on new PCs, and, given the fiasco I described yesterday in Hard-Drive Crashes: Life's Third Inevitable, there's a real possibility that I'll be buying a Windows 7 computer soon. If it runs until the end of Windows 7 support in 2020, I'll consider that a good investment.

@MB - I think the HP is the way I'd have gone, but for different reasons. If you are only using it as a desktop, why not GET a desktop?

I don't have room in my home office for a desktop. I did look at some of those small desktops (HP and Dell), but they only had celeron processors and honestly, I didn't like the mechanical design. Laptop prices are essentially the same as desktops.

Martin...just another 2c worth. You don't mention battery life. which is one of the most crucial "need to knows" on a new laptop. You mentiioned a faster processor running hotter...but it will thus also consume more power....but you don't want it to slow you down if it's tooo slow.

And being a semi-geriatric I would consider screen size to be an important consideration, but your eyes might be better than mine.

I jsut saw you said it would likely never leave your desk and will use an external monitor, so maybe neither of the above will be a factor....but you are getting a laptop so you must foresee using it on the move sometime, right?

@apummer945 Question: it would be not make more sense to "redo XP inside" but leave it the outside ?

Unfortunately. It's not so easy to do that....

Actually I think that Windows 7 is about as close as you could get at least from a user interface view. Unfortunately the problem is that redoing the inside affects the ability of old drivers to operate which is the main compatibility issue that is of concern to me when I have a device where the manufacturer is out of business but it is still working and I would like to keep using it for as long as possible. Also this is something (a device programmer) that is not used as often as before so it is hard to justify a new one... I also have some old PCB design software that requires a parallel port dongle. I still need to figure out how to get the data transfered to the software I'm currently using...

So for now I stay with Windows XP on one computer (actually I just recently upgraded to that computer from one running Win 98)